"In battle today, think not of the spoils of war. Think not of the glory of victory. Think not of the feast to follow, or the sport of the fight. Instead, think of our return to our home mountains, and a triumphant return it will be, as conquerors, as warriors, as heroes!"

-Leader of the North-Wind Skullcrushers, Ruthmir af Eldegon

Brunian Culture

The Iron Dwarves

Who better to survive in an iron age, than iron dwarves? The Brunians as a cultural group came to be in the XII Ginealach, a period of great expansion for the dwarves in general. During this time, a great number of dwarves came from the Usgaroth Mountains, the Bruno-Marians, and settled in the largest, and in some ways, least hospitable of the mountains of Adra, the Roughcut Mountains (named after their mentioned in-hospitability). There, they spread out, and found two very large ore-deposits, one of iron, the other of silver. Both of these weren't particularly glamorous metals, at least by the reckoning of the dwarves, but each were vital for the world economy in their own ways. The initial split in this large group came not over any political or ideological struggle, but simply over which ore was more valuable to mine in mass quantities. The Brunians came to see iron as more useful for the dwarves, who as a people, were rich beyond compare already. While iron could be found in most of the mountains of Adra in some quantity, no deposit resembling this size had been found before. The Brunians saw it as an opportunity to arm the dwarf world, and their allies, against the seemingly endless numbers of foul creatures conjured up in those days against them. What began as a mere disagreement over ore led to geographical conglomeration, and separation, between two distinct regions, eventually inhabited by two distinct cultures, the Brunians and the Marians. In the early years, these two peoples had the sense that they were essentially united, both by their common origin, and by their common goal to colonize the Roughcut Mountains. However, as time separated them, their true division became cleanly defined when both peoples claimed to forge an Underkingdom, that is, a massive and cavernous city beneath the surface. For a people to be loyal towards two underkingdoms seemed impossible, and so the division between the Brunians and Marians became forever cemented from then on. The Brunians, living in the freezing ranges of the Northern Roughcut Mountains, became defined by their zealous expansion into the ground, while leaving the surface world mostly un-touched. They interacted at times with surface dwelling folk, but as the ages moved on, most of the folk they could interact with became goblins, who, once ousted from their prosperous southern lands, became embittered and violent semi-nomads. Therefore, their interactions with the goblin-folk tended to be killing them, being killed by them, or at least keeping them out of their lands. Too so, the giants, as in all the mountains, would prove a constant annoyance and threat to Brunian settlements. Rather than keep a rigorously well patrolled network of surface paths, the Brunians opted for underground connections, moving through the swiftly growing Underdark. Through these pathways, they could avoid surface threats. Of course, with time, the Underdark would grow to rival, and eventually surpass the surface in the level of threat to be found in it, and this would cause the Brunians to reexamine their methods of transportation. Eventually, as divisions grew between the Marians and the Brunians, each came to see the other as inhabiting their mountains, rather than seeing the mountains as collectively belonging to both peoples. When diplomacy failed, the two nations eventually came to blows, in what would be a series of brutal civil wars between the dwarves, the only in history of their kind. While the first two civil wars would remain in the Roughcut Mountains, the third and final war spread across the dwarvish world, and involved each dwarvish people taking one side or another. After tens of thousands of dwarves died in the conflict, some nations began to see their ancient enemies take advantage of the conflict. Eventually, the Great King of Drumshiel drew the war to a close, and forbid any further wars like it from ever taking place; if they did, the other clans and nations swore to cut off all trade, support, and exchange with the participants. Since then, peace has held between the Marians and the Brunians, though very little communication or trade ever takes place between the two nations. In more recent years, the Marians have had to deal with increasing numbers of raids by forces from the Underdark, in particular the Illithid. Furthermore, after the earth-shattering collapse of Drumshiel, very little seems to be preventing another war between the Marians and Brunians, other than the memories of the horrors that such wars bring. Time will tell if the other Dwarven peoples hold the dwarves of the Roughcut Mountains to their old oaths.

          The Brunian dwarves in some ways resemble their foul cousins, the Duergar. That is, like the Duergar, the Brunians spend the vast majority of their time underground. Of course, many dwarves do so, but the Brunians seem to do so a lot even for a dwarf. The northern ranges of the Roughcut Mountains where their holds reside are unfathomably cold. Even in the summer months, one can only remain comfortable during the day time, and with a sturdy coat. In the winter, the mountains become pilled up with 20ft or more of snow, and in the sun the temperature is still cold enough to suck the warmth from one's bones in a moment. Further, even if it weren't so cold, little grows in the northern ranges, and few animals fit to be hunting game are found either. Instead, giants, bands of goblins, and orcs roam the mountains, the only creatures fierce and desperate enough to do so. Therefore, when not forced to by the realities of trade and transport (which the Brunians have never been particularly adept at), the Brunians remain locked up in their holds for months at a time. Therefore, their rhythms and traditions go on mostly ungoverned by the realities of a clock, and "the forge-day" reigns dominate; a period of 6 hours of intense work, followed by 2 hours of relaxation, and 4 hours of rest, over and over again, with little attention to the actual day. Due to this, and other aspects of their culture, Brunians are well-known as diligent workers. Often, they lack many of the hobbies and pursuits that many dwarves, who think of themselves as thorough-going people, have to give their lives fulfillment outside of their labors. Instead, work is simply what gives most Brunians their fulfillment, and little else. They also tend to be a serious and sober people, generally disapproving of humor and merriment, in exchange for serious discussions of work, politics, and war. War indeed can be thought of as a past time for most Brunians, even those who are not professional soldiers. They enjoy sparring, brawling, and target shooting. The nobles of the culture enjoy tactics, games of strategy, and solving problems of logistics. Indeed, the Brunians, well armed from their iron mines, perhaps make more profit from fighting than from mining. When not raiding the territory of goblins, or patrolling their own mountains (which they are not wont to do), Brunian war parties will take on mercenary work elsewhere in the world. Some bands will spend decades away from home at a time, fighting and earning their fortune, eventually returning home with their well-earned riches. Given their frequent travel to other nations, and their tendency to join in battle with many other cultures, the Brunians incorporate many fighting styles from across the world into their battle, sometimes raising ire from the conservative tendencies of other dwarven cultures. Indeed, the Brunians are the only dwarven culture to ever practice any form of horse riding in battle, all though only rarely. Instead, they often are found riding giant mountain goats, fierce and dependable mounts. While bloodshed and the practice of battle is part and parcel for the Brunian way of life, very little thought is given to why such battle is noble, and under what conditions it is appropriate. As such, the Brunians are often accused of choosing the "wrong side" in a battle, and are sometimes even accused of being somewhat treacherous or flighty in choosing whom they fight for or with. Still, when paid well, and in full, the Brunians can be relied on as some of the fiercest fighters in the world; if you can afford them.

          The Brunian people are most highly concentrated in the northern ranges of the Roughcut Mountains, though occasionally they can be found in the southern Roughcut Mountains, or in Zaltia as settlers and craftsmen. They can be found throughout the world as mercenaries and commanders. The predominate race of the Brunians are dwarves, but some non-dwarves become welcomed, occasionally joining with returning mercenary bands, or as merchants and certain kinds of craftsmen. In general though, non-dwarves find living in Brunheim and the other strongholds of the Brunians to be difficult due to their resting schedules. The most popular gods among the Brunians are Melteos, Sindra, Reckion, Erethelon, Sorthal, Eoulous, and Goretawn. Of course, despite his death, Oerack remains the patron god of all dwarvish settlements. Brunians tend to be diligent, focused, and brave. They also tend to be stodgy, violent, and uninquisitive. The dominant language among the Brunians is Dwarvish.

If you choose the Brunian Culture, you gain the following:

~Either a +1 to your Strength score or a +1 to your Dexterity score~

~A -1 to your Intelligence score~

~As a known language, Dwarvish~

~A Sub-Discipline in every knowledge skill on checks relating to Brunian Culture~

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